7.07.2010

Shut Up & Write

I had a great conversation today with my sister about writing. I told her that, if I were to be completely honest with anyone (booorrrring!), the truth is -- I have more unfinished pieces than finished. Coming up with ideas is never a problem. My insanely vivid and bizarre nightly dreams provide ample resources. I could probably become rich and famous just blogging the weird & wacky places my mind travels each night. Ideas are easy. There is a very small list of things I know I do well as a writer.

In case you're wondering, dialog is not on this list.

Neither is finishing the damn thing.

I get angry. I get mopey. I get depressed. I get more snacks out. I get on Facebook. I get the insane notion to research bits and pieces about my story that don't really need to be researched quite yet, and spend hours looking for obscure information. I get tired. I get a headache. I get many, many things.

What I do not get, my friend, is further along in the storyline.

Last night, I was listening to a podcast at Writing Excuses and realized that I have GOT to stop staring at the same paragraphs, revising, rearranging, and rendering myself useless. It doesn't matter if it's slop, at this point. I have an entire storyline in my head. I know where it ends. I know the major conflict. I play it out in my head over and over.

But when I see it on paper (word processor? stone tablet? whatever.) I get skittish. Suddenly the words seem silly, the ideas aren't always what I thought they would be, there are parts that lag and need tweaking.

When I let my OCD Evil Twin take over, I will tweak that one part until my fingerprints disappear from manic typing.

So. So what? After the podcast ended, I just wrote. I winced at some of the words, but kept going, knowing I will definitely go back later, because if I never push the story along, there will never be a story.

And that would be a miserable regret to look back on.

I started this post with the idea that I would give you a list of reasons (it was going to be ironic! sarcastic! witty!) why I can't write today. But I guess even I have to admit, the only thing that ever truly keeps me from writing, is me.

**Interestingly enough, as I was sitting down to write this, I decided to check out a few of my new favorite blogs, and over at Shannon Messenger's blog, she's talking about writer's block, or the lack thereof. Check it out!**